Things will get better
by tashy-lou
Summary: One shot. Short story about how Dick and Babs first meet.


Things will get better

It was a night just like any other. Twelve year old Barbara Gordon, after finishing her homework for that night, left the safety of her and her father's home and wandered down the dark streets to the bus stop. When she arrived there, she did not have to wait long before the bus she was looking for appeared. She stepped on and paid the driver. Most people would have questioned such a young girl travelling across Gotham, on her own, at night, but this driver knew Barbara, he knew she took this same bus to the same place almost every night. Barbara smiled at the driver as she boarded the bus, he didn't know the real reason why she came down here every night, no one did, except maybe him, she wasn't quite sure how much he actually knew about her, but thought it was probably quite a lot.

As the bus turned a corner, Barbara's destination came into view. She stood up and pressed the bell to alert the driver that she wanted to get off, not that that was necessary, she always got off here. Barbara looked up at the large police station in front of her as she climbed the steps leading to the double doors. As Barbara entered the building, she saw something she had not been expecting to see. Sat in the waiting area was a young boy, he was a very small child and Barbara determined that he could only be nine years old at most. The boy was looking down with his head in his hands, his raven coloured hair fell forward, out of place, and covered his forward. The boy was dressed in a plain yellow robe stained with dark red blood, all Barbara could make out of what the boy wore underneath was what looked like a pair of dark green tights.

The boy let out a pained sob and as Barbara got closer she could see the tears running down his face and noticed that his hands, like his robe, were covered in blood. Barbara wondered what could have happened to this child. As if reading her mind, a police officer, noticing her looking at the boy, walked up to her and told her about the boy, "His names Richard Grayson," the man said, making Barbara jump slightly, she had been looking at the boy so intently that she hadn't noticed the man standing beside her, "his parents died earlier tonight, it seemed like just a freak accident, but some people think it might have been murder." The man sighed and went back to his position behind the desk. Barbara looked at the young boy, it was so sad, he was barely nine years old and already some heartless person had so cruelly taken his parents away from him, Barbara hoped that she would never have to feel what he felt.

Then Barbara made a decision, slowly she walked up to the young boy and seeing no reaction from him, sat down beside him. She watched as the boy cried to himself, he looked so small and lost and alone, like he needed somebody to hold him, like he needed her hold him. Slowly Barbara wrapped her arms around the young boy, she was surprised when she saw that he did not pull away form her touch, instead he leaned in closer to her gripping her shirt tightly, as if if he were to let go she would disappear. Barbara held the boy tightly to her and stroked his soft raven black hair. The boy sobbed and she shushed him, holding him close, like a little brother.

A door opened across from the waiting area and Commissioner James Gordon walked in to see his daughter, sitting holding the newly orphaned Grayson boy in her arms. She looked as as he entered the room and pulled away slightly. Her father smiled as he walked up to the two. Barbara pulled away slightly as her father reached out his hand towards the boy. At first he was hesitant, then the boy looked up at Barbara with his bright blue eyes, their eyes met and he saw the reassurance he needed in her deep cyan eyes, a similar colour to his late mothers. Then he slowly got up and took the Commissioner's hand.

"Goodbye Dick," she whispered softly under her breath, as Barbara watched the little boy leave with her father. She just hoped that things would get better for him now.


End file.
